Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
“The Josiah B. and Sara Moore House is a house in Villisca, Iowa, United States. The house was the site of the 1912 brutal murder of eight people, including children.”
Wikipedia article Josiah B. and Sara Moore House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 19 National Register listings published here for Montgomery County · listed in 1997 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Josiah B. and Sara Moore House between 2007 and 2011, burning about 25 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 1171 WILLOW AVE, IA |
| 22 March 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 24 February 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Josiah B. and Sara Moore House: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villisca Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Villisca, the town this property stands in, in 22 storm reports between 1999 and 2024: 9 hail, 9 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 1 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Villisca | $10,000 | This tornado was apparently the decaying part of a cyclic tornado which produced the long-lived and eventually strong tornado which initially touched down 2 miles northeast of Clarinda, trees and small outbuildings sustained the majority of damage from this tornado. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Villisca | - | A 67 miles per hour wind gust was measured on a personal weather station. |
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF2) | Villisca | - | This is a continuation of the Adams County EF-3 tornado as it came out of Page County. This tornado crossed into southern Montgomery County just east of the Montgomery-Page Street and O Avenue intersection. As the tornado continued to the northeast, it tracked through several homesteads snapping tree trunks and destroying multiple farm outbuildings. As the tornado crossed 250th Street, a radio tower was destroyed resulting in EF-2 damage. Further to the northwest at a homestead at the intersection of 240th Street and T Avenue, a home took a direct hit with the majority of its roof blown off in addition to the loss of several exterior walls on the second floor. Trees on the property were uprooted and farm outbuilding were completely destroyed and swept away. This is the strongest damage from this tornado in Montgomery County, rated EF-2 with estimated wind speeds of 130 mph. The tornado then crossed US Highway 71 three-quarters of a mile south of US Highway 34, causing damage to trees and destroying an attached garage to a residence. The walls of the garage were bolted to the foundation and had been completely swept away. The remaining house had significant roof damage, but all the walls remained. Afterwards, the tornado crossed US Highway 34 on the south side of the Hacklebarney Woods County Park. Here trees were snapped, small outbuildings were destroyed and a camping trailer was rolled on its side. The tornado then continued northeast, causing damage to outbuildings and snapping tree trunks as it crossed Vine Avenue. The tornado then crossed into Adams County (see Des Moines National Weather Service StormData) approximately two-thirds of a mile north of 210th Street. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Villisca | - | Public reported trees blown down at the golf course. |
| March 2020 | Hail | Villisca | - | Emergency manager reported 2 inch hail. |
| April 2018 | Hail | Villisca | - | Penny size hail 1/2 mile east of Villisca was reported. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Villisca | - | The emergency manager reported some outbuildings destroyed at a farmstead. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Villisca | - | The emergency manager reported that the roof from the local power plant was removed. A chicken plant on the southwest side of town was also destroyed, and there were numerous large tree branches down in town as well. |
| May 2011 | Flood | Villisca | - | Rainfall of at least 2 to 3 inches caused minor flooding of the Nodaway River in far southwest Iowa. The river near Clarinda crested at a little over 21.5 feet during the evening of 5/11, flood stage is 19 feet. The flooding affected mainly agricultural lowlands and no damage was reported. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Villisca | - | Hail at least up to golf ball-size was accompanied by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph. The winds and hail caused extensive tree, vehicle and home damage in the area. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Villisca | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph severely damaged some grain bins in the Villisca area and caused widespread tree damage as well. Some of the fallen trees damaged homes and vehicles and the winds were accompanied by hail at least golf ball-size which also damaged vehicles and homes. |
| March 2009 | Tornado (EF0) | Villisca | - | The tornado touched down just southwest of the intersection of 270th and Q Ave. west-southwest of Villisca. Near that point the roof was torn off of an outbuilding and an empty grain bin was blown across the road. A barn had some roof structure damage 2 to 3 miles north of there, near where the tornado apparently lifted. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Villisca | - | Four train cars were derailed near Villisca due to thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph. |
| September 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Villisca | - | A microburst produced straight-line winds estimated at 80 to 100 mph. The winds caused significant damage to an apartment building, at least one garage and one camper. Large trees were also blown down. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Villisca | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph knocked down numerous large limbs and several trees which blocked a road and downed power lines. Power was knocked out over a large section of town. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Villisca | - | Thunderstorm winds estimated at over 60 mph downed power poles causing a power outage in Villisca. |
| May 2013 | Hail | Villisca | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Villisca | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Villisca | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Villisca | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Villisca | - | no account filed |
| September 1999 | Hail | Villisca | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Villisca National Guard Armory | 0.2 miles | 2015 |
| Sciola Missionary Baptist Church | 7.2 miles | 1983 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 97001471 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Montgomery County | All 19 listed properties in this county. |
Block